[Grad-postdoc-assn] Fwd: TP Msg. #1250 Let's Make a Deal-Six Myths About Job and Salary Negotiations

Tue Apr 30 10:24:55 MDT 2013

Dear all,

Here is some useful advice for grad students and early career scientists!

Enjoy,
Vanessa

--
Vanessa Schweizer
Postgraduate Scientist
Climate and Global Dynamics (CGD) Division &
Integrated Science Program (ISP)
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
P.O. Box 3000 | Boulder, CO 80307 | USA

Phone: +1 (303) 497-1713
Fax: +1 (303) 497-1314

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rick Reis <reis at stanford.edu>
Date: Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 9:58 AM
Subject: TP Msg. #1250 Let's Make a Deal-Six Myths About Job and Salary
Negotiations
To: tomorrows-professor <tomorrows-professor at lists.stanford.edu>

Though many negotiation talks center on financial terms, approach job
offers with a whole package in mind. For example, additional vacation time
may be more important than a starting bonus, because of work/life balance
or because vacation time is a more permanent benefit than a one-time,
taxable bonus. Again, different fields have different standards. Within
research and academic science, for example, space, equipment, and staff may
be far more important, and easier, to negotiate than salary.
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Folks:

The posting below looks at six common myths about negotiating for an
academic position. The original audience is postdocs but the ideas
expressed have a broader relevance.  It is by Stephanie Eberle and it
appeared in the February 1, 2013 Careers issue of The Scientist: Magazine
of the Life Sciences [http://the-scientist.com/]. © Copyright 2013, The
Scientist, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis at stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Work and Family Integration for Faculty: Recommendations for Chairs

Tomorrow's Graduate Students and Postdocs

---------------------------------- 2,074 words ---------------------------

Let's Make a Deal-Six myths about job and salary negotiations and how they
may hinder your ability to bargain effectively.

Yuki sat in my office at the Stanford University School of Medicine Career
Center, as many graduate students have before, and detailed the two postdoc
job offers she had received in spite of an ongoing recession. She had heard
she should negotiate, but had no idea how to proceed. When asked what she
wanted to get out of the agreement, she responded, “I’m not good at this. I
mean, why would they want to hire me?”

Weeks earlier, one of her classmates, Ray (both Ray and Yuki are fictitious
names to protect the identities of my students), was in the opposite
predicament. He came to my office because all three of his job offers had
been rescinded after he attempted to negotiate, which he had done because
he felt he should. When asked how he approached the negotiations, he said,
“I simply told them I needed more money because I graduated with a PhD from
Stanford.”

With recent legislation mandating equal pay for women, and reports that a
woman makes, on average, 77–80 cents for every dollar a man earns, it is
tempting to see these two scenarios as “gendered”: to assume that Yuki may
settle for less because she is not confident in the process, as women “tend
to be,” and that Ray’s overconfidence cost him three jobs, a mistake
commonly attributed to men. In fact, both faced the negotiation question
with unhealthy assumptions about the process, which ultimately hurt their
cases. Here are the most common job negotiation myths and what to do about
them.

Myth 1: You must negotiate

There are two types of negotiations: distributive and integrative.
Negotiating a painting’s price with an art dealer, for example, is
distributive. You may never see the dealer again, so focusing on the best
bargain is more important than concerning yourself with maintaining a
relationship.

Negotiations with future employers are integrative, which means you will
(if all goes well) see them again; starting and maintaining a good
relationship is therefore your most important concern.

The best approach is to enter the negotiation with a rationale that fits
both parties. The Harvard Negotiation Project within Harvard Law School
provides research and resources focused on the theory and practice of
conflict resolution and negotiation. Researchers within the program
recommend knowing the following before you begin:

• Best alternative to a negotiated agreement: What are your other options?
• Reservation price: What is the least you can accept?
• Zone of possible agreement: Where are you willing to settle?

Through answering these questions, you may find the offer reasonable or
even better than you had anticipated. It’s also a good idea to know your
own worth. Comparing standards in your field on sites like the American
Association of University Professors (AAUP), Career Insider, Radford,
Glassdoor, Salary.com, and The Scientist’s own Salary Survey can help. It’s
important to remember that these rarely offer precise benchmarks of salary.
However, comparisons of the information can offer a good sense of range.
Additionally, in some fields, such as management consulting, negotiation is
not even common. In effect, if you have found no solid reason for
negotiating other than simply wanting a little more cash for
extracurricular activities, it may be better for your professional
relationship not to do so.

Myth 2: Negotiation is a disingenuous process

While you do not have to negotiate if you don’t want to or cannot make a
solid case for doing so, your starting package is a baseline for all other
future raises, promotions, and opportunities. So reason to negotiate does
exist, but what if it just isn’t you?

Make it about you—and them. The basis for myth 2 is a belief that
negotiation is an attempt to take advantage of someone. The goal of any
negotiation, whether professional or personal, should be reaching a “zone
of tolerance,” or an area where both of you feel a little comfort and a
little discomfort. If you are focused entirely on what you want or entirely
on what you think the prospective employer wants to hear, the process
becomes less genuine. Develop a personal budget plan to determine the
difference between what you want and need; listen to what the future
employer wants and needs; and find a fit between these interests.

Myth 3: Negotiation really means asking for more money

Even though many negotiation talks center on financial terms, approach job
offers with a whole package in mind. For example, additional vacation time
may be more important than a starting bonus, because of work/life balance
or because vacation time is a more permanent benefit than a one-time,
taxable bonus. Again, different fields have different standards. Within
research and academic science, for example, space, equipment, and staff may
be far more important, and easier, to negotiate than salary.

Besides those mentioned above, other common negotiable offerings may
include: start date, start-up funding, professional development
opportunities, job-title change, teaching load, part-time/working from
home, relocation costs, parking/commuting costs, and early/delayed review
times. Insurance and related benefits are typically standardized per
organization and can therefore be more difficult to negotiate. Still, these
are just standards, and many people make the mistake of simply not
exploring the breadth of possibilities available.

Regardless of what you seek, know what you want ahead of time so that you
are able to fully assess how well the entire offer fits with your interests.

Myth 4: There is a negotiation “type” and you either have it or don’t

Yuki believed that she was not the negotiating “type,” seeing herself as
unassertive or perhaps too genuine. Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann,
creators of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), identify
five negotiator styles, all of which can result in successful outcomes,
depending on how, when, and why they are implemented:

1. Avoider: chooses not to negotiate at all
2. Accommodator: focuses primarily on understanding the other side’s
interests
3. Compromiser: intends to “split the difference”
4. Competitor: focuses on getting the best possible outcome for self
5. Collaborator: tries to find ways to understand and satisfy both sides

Most of us fall strongly into one or two of these categories. Luckily, the
best type of negotiator is a combination of numbers 2 through 5. Early on,
you may want to start as an accommodator, and/or as a competitor. In the
middle, you may want to take a more collaborative stance and, in the end,
move more fully toward compromise. The TKI measures which of these styles
suits you best, but each has its strengths and weaknesses. Unlike Yuki, you
should start your negotiations with a very distinct awareness of your
strengths and weaknesses both as a negotiator and as a candidate, and give
yourself the credit you deserve. As a result, you’ll be better equipped to
communicate your case with confidence.

Myth 5: Men are better at this than women

When I ask audiences and clients to list separately the leadership traits
of men and women, the lists are invariably similar. But, of the negotiation
types above, men are given credit for being more competitive and women more
accommodating. However, successful negotiation will not result from an
extreme in either direction, suggesting that neither of these styles is an
inherent strength or weakness. What we do know is that women do not ask for
as much.

According to Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, authors of Women Don’t Ask,
women may compromise too quickly, fearing that asserting their own
interests will either ruin a relationship with future colleagues or seem
overly aggressive. It is not that women are satisfied with less or that
they don’t value negotiating. Rather, there exists a fear of discrimination
or rejection if they do so too aggressively. As a result, I have found that
women are more likely to negotiate on someone else’s behalf (e.g., a family
member), apologize, confuse assertiveness with aggression, feel like they
have to act stereotypically masculine, and ruminate about the interaction
long after it is over. Men, on the other hand, may stay focused on the most
immediately relevant issues and present key points more concisely and
confidently, and then move on without looking back.

This perspective leads men to negotiate more often. However, there is
always the risk of seeming overconfident or too competitive, if you do not
keep the other party’s interests in mind. So your best bet is to take the
time to self-reflect and think about how others may benefit from the
individual skills you bring to the table, whether gender-related or not.

Myth 6: Employers want to give only the lowest offer

Negotiation is not the same as competition. Posting a job, reviewing
applications, interviewing candidates, and putting offers together all take
a while. By the time you receive a job offer, the employer is committed to
you and wants you to succeed.

The goal of any negotiation, whether professional or personal, should be
reaching a “zone of tolerance,” or an area where both of you feel a little
comfort and a little discomfort.

Every job title is connected to a specified salary range, with professional
skills and activities designated as suitable to the lower and higher ends
of the range. Such activities may be a combination of content skills
(technical skills specific to a particular job, such as performing PCR or
working with mouse models) and transferable skills (those less obvious
skills which may transfer into any job, such as facility at communication
or ability to work on a team). Salaries are offered according to where the
candidate’s experience falls within this continuum.

If a salary offer is not what you expected, first thank the hiring manager
for the offer of a position and then inquire about the salary range,
whether it is negotiable, and how they came to that figure. An offer closer
to the high end of the range is more difficult to negotiate because it
moves you closer to the next level in the pay structure. When negotiating
(or even interviewing in the first place), however, remind your potential
employer of the less obvious transferable skills you possess in addition to
the hard technical skills in the job description. These are the skills that
may get lost in translation on your CV or when determining an initial
offer. As a candidate, you should focus on the whole package when
considering a job offer, not just one aspect. In turn, it behooves you to
clarify what went into the job offer in the first place to ensure that all
of your skills, interests, and abilities are reflected.

Final advice for negotiating with your future colleagues
Yuki and Ray’s negotiation stories are not the worst I have heard. Several
years ago another one of my students received an offer at a well-known
organization. She negotiated a start date 3 months later than the employer
requested, additional salary and moving expense coverage, vacation time
soon after starting, and that one of her colleagues move, giving my student
the corner office. She did receive the offer of her dreams, but managed to
alienate all of her colleagues before even starting the job. She left after
just a year and a half.

Remember that these are your future colleagues. You will see them again,
possibly every day. You don’t want them to offer you the lowest salary
possible, but don’t assume they are doing so. Likewise, don’t give them an
excuse to make assumptions about you and your motives. Have your ideal
offer in mind from the start, know your reservation price, and come into
the process willing to negotiate the best possible agreement for everyone
involved. Finally, ask for the offer in writing (not always possible, but
highly advisable), and get a final written version once negotiation has
been concluded.

Stephanie Eberle is the director of curriculum development at the Stanford
University School of Medicine Career Center.

FIND OUT MORE

Resources used in this article and my most-often-recommended reference
materials for those considering whether or not to negotiate and how to do
so:

• Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School (Harvard Negotiation Project):
  www.pon.harvard.edu

• Harvard Business Essentials: Negotiation, Harvard Business School Press,
2003

• Perfect Phrases for Negotiating Salary and Job Offers, Matthew J. DeLuca
and Nanette
  F. DeLuca, McGraw-Hill, 2006

• Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation—and Positive
Strategies for Change, Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, Bantam, 2007

• Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, Roger Fisher,
Bruce M.
  Patton, and William L. Ury, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2nd ed., 1992

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